Description

When Yeti introduced the SB-66, it, like the 575, pushed the boundaries of what a trail bike can do. But there was one minor problem … fork choices. You had to choose between either a stretched out, 32mm-stanchion noodle or a burly 36mm unit. Fortunately, Fox Racing Shox has their finger on mountain biking's pulse and now offer a line of 34mm forks for boundary pushing trail rigs like the SB-66 Race Complete Bike.

The Fox 34 150 CTD gracing the front of this SB-66 sports the larger, but not too-large stanchions, for enhanced chassis stiffness -- and it features Fox's latest damper technology. It's a simplified system, which uses three distinct damper settings for the three most common riding scenarios. The leaver located on the right crown allows the fork to switch from damping for efficient climbing, flowing trails, and aggressive descending.

The fork has 150mm of travel, which perfectly matches the SB-66's 152mm of rear wheel travel for neutral, balanced handling. Controlling the rear suspension movement is a FOX Float CTD with the smooth and durable Kashima coating. This keeps things consistent with the fork's intuitive Climb, Trail, Descend damping adjustments for simple, on-the-fly tuning.

The heart of the SB line lies in its suspension design though. Unlike multi-link suspension designs that require linkages packed in between the main triangle and rear triangle, Yeti’s Switch Technology features an eccentric mechanism buried low in the frame -- allowing minimal chain stay length. This compact eccentric continuously adjusts the lower pivot position, allowing for a rearward, small-bump damping axle path while maintaining a firm, pedal-friendly platform.

Once you start to blow through the travel, the eccentric rotates in the opposite direction for a responsive midstroke, and finally to the end position where the suspension becomes progressively stiffer to provide big hit absorption. Switch Technology is also tuned to be independent of chain forces, preventing any kickback when spinning through rockgardens. Switch Technology not only features near-perfect pivot and rear axle motion, it also rides on oversized pivots, pins, and axles to ensure precise, friction-free movement with long maintenance intervals.

On the component end of things, this SB-66 Complete Bike gets a heavy dose of XT goodies. This includes the triple crankset, shifters, front and rear derailleurs, and brakes with a 180mm front rotor to ensure there's plenty of power. The 11-36T, 10-speed cassette is a Shimano HG81 and its matched to a Shimano HG 74 chain.

For wheel duty, light, yet tough, DT Swiss X1600s are employed. They ship with tubes filling the Maxxis Ardent tires, but can be converted to tubleless with DT's conversion kit. Up front the tire's a 2.4in, and out back it's a 2.25in. Finishing off the build is a Thomson seatpost sporting a WTB saddle and stem with an Easton Haven handlebar and Yeti Lock-on grips.

The Yeti SB-66 Race Complete Bike is available in Small through X-Large sizes and comes in Black, White, Turquoise, and Lime.

US Yeti dealers are prohibited from shipping Yeti bicycles outside of the US.